“Okay, Tapping, Give it to me straight. When did this all start?” Cameron charged into Andrew’s lab, where he was hard at work translating a new tablet.

“November 3rd, 1994.”

“Really?” Cameron was amazed by how early that was. This would have been right at the beginning of the project. Had Natalie even been involved then?

“Well, since you charged into my lab without any kind of stipulations on what you were asking me about, I was assuming you meant when my work in this lab started, and excluding a couple years living on a different planet, that began November 3rd, 1994.” Andrew continued to study the tablet.

“Tapping, why would I want to know about how long you have been working in this lab?”

“I don’t know, but until you give me more than ‘when did this all start’ how do you expect me to answer you properly?” Andrew finally set the tablet down and stared up at Cameron.

“The thing between Natalie and James! When did that all start?”

“Do you mean how long have they been dating? Because I think they have an anniversary coming up…”

“No…I mean the whole thing! When did it start?”

“A while ago. It’s been going on longer than either of them will admit. Actually, I’m the only one who could admit it…they are bound by regs, and Trevor…is well, Trevor…so he’s not likely to say anything.”

“You mean they’ve had a relationship while the Military and Civilians weren’t allowed to be involved?!”

“What kind of a question is that? Of course they’ve had a relationship. I had a relationship with both of them as well. Want to get upset about that?”

“You know what I mean, Tapping.”

“No, they wouldn’t dare break regs, but they had crushes that they tried to avoid.”

“Well, When did those crushes start?”

“Hmm…now that is a question. I’ve got a couple of guesses, but I don’t know. He did get pissed and say that “she wasn’t mine to care about” when we were affected by that drug thing. So did he have the crush before that? I know Natalie was physically attracted to him because of his strength, and I suppose seeing her in that tank top wouldn’t have helped if he already had some little thing growing, but could he have really liked her that much already?”

“Tapping…”

“That was only a month or so after Natalie joined The Project…but I guess when Ethan makes up his mind, he does it quickly.”

“Andrew…This isn’t helping me you know.”

“Sorry, Cam, I can’t tell you when it started…I don’t know….Just suffice it to say it started a long, long time ago, and you are really slow for missing it as long as you did.”

“Thanks, Andrew, loads of help you were.”

“If you really want to know, ask one of them, and leave me out of it.” Andrew picked his tablet back up and got back to work. Cameron opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it and turned on his heel, heading back out of the lab.

Cameron made his way down to the labs. Natalie had just gotten back in from a week off this morning, and Cameron had to know if the rumors were true.

Now normally, Cameron wouldn’t give any weight to a rumor that was spread through The Project. This place was worse than high school sometimes. If rumors were to be believed, then Cameron himself was the illegitimate son of a time-traveling General, and had knocked up no less than three non-human women, as well as being the God father to most of the no less than eight alien children of one Dr. Andrew Tapping.

However, this particular rumor was about Dr. Natalie Anderson and Major Ethan James. Now there had been a fair run of rumors about them too, but this one had a single key factor that made Cameron weigh it above all the others.

This particular rumor was started by the one and only Dr. Andrew Tapping himself. This rumor was that during their mutual week off, Dr. Anderson and Major James had gone off to get married.

“Knock, Knock.” Cameron smiled as he stuck his head in the door of her lab.

“Hey, Cam, come on in.” Natalie smiled up at him then looked back into her microscope. “What’s up?”

“Oh, not much.” He glanced at her hands. No ring, but he figured they wouldn’t be that obvious anyway, “How was your week off?”

“Not bad. Did a little bit of traveling, and enjoyed the face that the world wasn’t likely to blow up in my face at any moment. Or if it did, it at least wouldn’t be my fault.”

“Minor traveling? Where did you go?”

“Oh, you know to see my brother and his kids, spend some time with the friends who didn’t give up on me when The Project absorbed most of my time, that kind of thing.”

“Where are these friends of yours?”

“Back in D.C. where I used to work.”

“Where did you stay in D.C?”

Natalie looked up from her microscope to study Cameron’s face for a second. “Why are you suddenly so interested in my life?”

“Just trying to be a friendly teammate is all. And since apparently I miss even the most obvious of facts, I need to start asking more questions and paying more attention.” Cameron smiled innocently, and Natalie chuckled to herself and went back to work. “So…did you go to church in your time off?”

“Cam! What kind of a question is that?”

“Sorry, Nat, my grandmother coming out in me. Anyway, I’ll let you get back to…whatever you are studying.” Natalie started at him incredulously as he headed back out of her lab. Had he finally flipped his lid? After a few moments, Andrew ducked quickly into her lab, laughing to himself.

“Have a good break, Natalie?”

“Yeah. What’s so funny?”

“Cam.” Andrew smiled almost wickedly, and Natalie decided that Andrew had spent way too much time with Ethan James over the past few years.

“You were listening to him?”

“I had to. It wouldn’t have been any fun to not see the completion of it.”

“Andrew Tapping, what did you do?”

“Nothing that someone else wouldn’t have done. Although, it may have made a little bit of a difference since it came from me.” Andrew took a moment to ponder this new idea.

“What did you tell him?”

“Well, I didn’t tell him anything, but I may have implied something.”

“Andrew.”

“I may have implied that you and Ethan were getting married during your week off.” Andrew looked carefully at Natalie, wondering if she would laugh or if he should start running.

Natalie hesitated then chuckled. “Well that explains a lot then. But leave the poor boy alone from now on, okay?”

Andrew smiled in relief but then said “No promises.” Before darting out of the lab as quickly as he had come.

These two worked side by side for so long. They were directly linked again and again. She would often go off on these stupid fact finding missions, and he was the best protection they had, so he was always assigned to keep her safe. These are that was the type of thing you weren’t even supposed to consider in this line of work.

But there they were, sitting across the briefing table from each other, casting sly glances at each other. Major James looked much too interested in Andrew’s report. Natalie looked too distracted to even notice that Andrew had gotten a fact about the soil sample around the old ruin wrong. Yeah. Something was going on.

Now I feel like an idiot. How many times had I seen the two of them together acting like this? These small subtle hints. And what about all those reports I read, where I thought that James was acting out of Character? Allowing himself to be captured even though he would have always had an escape route? He got captured to get her out even though the rescue mission had not been approved. He risked everything to go after her even though everyone else was sure she was dead. He was a good solider, but that was above and beyond.

Wait…wait…wait…What?

That was three years ago. Has this been going on longer than I realized? Have they been breaking regulations? No, they both valued their jobs too much for that…so had they sat on their heels? Simply waiting? Biding time? Hoping that the rules would change, the policy that said that civilian and military weren’t supposed to fraternize? Had they secretly been working to make that rule change happen?

Oh my god. They’re in love. Look at it. They sat quietly letting their feelings grow and the first time they could get away with it. And the way Natalie had blushed and James looked at her when Valarie mentioned a wedding for that ridiculous movie.

Damn. I feel like a complete idiot now.

“Cameron!” My thoughts scattered as I looked up across the table to Major James. “Debriefing is over, or were you planning on sitting through on the next one, too.” I looked around and everyone had stopped on their way out the door to have another chuckle at my expense…wasn’t one enough for the day?

“Sorry, sir, of course not.”

“Well, that’s a new record. I usually zone out when Andrew is talking about ordinary old ruins, but I’m always paying enough attention to know when I get to leave.” James joked as we got up to leave.

“Ah, leave him be James.” There’s good old Andrew, jumping to my defense. “He just recently had a revelation that must be blowing his mind.”

“Did he now?”

“Yeah. I think he feels like an idiot that he missed it now that he sees the way all the pieces fit together.” So much for jumping to my defense.

“O…kay… I’m going to pretend to understand you, Drew.”

“So, business as usual, huh?” Natalie laughed as she came around the corner, only catching that last line, and somehow already changed into a non-regulation outfit to begin her leave. “Anyway, I’m off. I’ll see you guys in a week.”

“Wait up, Natalie. I’ll walk you up to the parking lot. Goodbye, Cameron, Andrew.” James and Natalie disappeared into the elevator, and Andrew was grinning at me again. After a second he headed towards his lab to start studying the newest ‘key to the universe’ that someone was sure they had discovered, pointedly humming the wedding march. Okay then, something else that Andrew knew before I did. They were getting married.

Cameron turned to Andrew. “You should be on my side. Our Natalie is meeting with a man with increasing frequency and she is refusing to inform us on who this man is.”

“No…she’s refusing to inform you who this man is.” Andrew said with the same shit-eating grin on his face when he knew something Cameron didn’t know.

“Oh, and I’m assuming she’s told you?”

“Well…no, but that doesn’t mean I don’t know who it is.”

“Well, Dr. Know-it-all, would you care to inform the rest of the class?”

“Well, with one glaring exception, the rest of the class already knows.” Cameron turned to look at the rest of the group. Trevor had the smallest of smiles, and Valarie looked like she was trying her hardest not to openly laugh at him.

“It’s really not that hard. I figured it out within the first week.” Valarie commented, and Camreon let out a frustrated sigh.

“Give it up, Cam, It’s my secret, and if you can’t figure it out, you’ll never know.” Natalie laughed at the annoyed look on his face.

“Can I get some clues at least?”

Natalie rolled her eyes. “I’m not saying anything. But I suppose since Andrew doesn’t actually know who it is…”

“Oh, I know.”

“You have a guess, but can’t be positive unless I confirm it, which I have not and will not. Anyway, I guess you can ask Andrew a few questions, and he can answer.”

“Really?”

“Eh, I’m just as bored by this trek as you are. Watching you struggle to figure out what is obvious to everyone else may keep me entertained for a while.” Natalie smirked and took a few steps ahead of Cameron. He lagged back near Andrew, and thought about his first question.

“Okay. Here goes nothing. Who is it that Natalie is dating?”

Andrew looked at Cameron incredulously, “You had to know that wouldn’t work, Right?”

“It was worth a shot. Okay, first things first. Do I know this man?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, do we all know this man?”

“Yes.”

“Even Trevor and Valarie?”

“Even Trevor and Valarie.”

“O-ho, so that means he’s somehow involved with The Project. Dating within the office now are we?” Cameron called up to Natalie, and could see her shoulders shrug as she laughed.

“So…who has known him the longest?”

“Well, personally, I suppose I knew him first, but I think Natalie may have known of him longer.”

“Does he work inside The Project Building?”

“No.”

“But he does know about The Project?”

“Oh, I’d say.”

“Wait, he is…human…right?”

“Cam!” Natalie sounded slightly offended.

“Yes, he is human.” Andrew laughed.

“And is he a scientist? Or one of our military protectors?”

“Military, through and through.”

Cameron walked for a couple of minutes in silence and Valarie rolled her eyes. “Come on. I’ve never taken you for a stupid man, but you certainly are acting like it.”

“You could just tell me who it is and put us both out of misery.”

Valarie looked around, but was met with both Andrew and Natalie’s ‘don’t-you-do-it’ faces. She sighed and turned her attention back to Cameron. “Come on, he’s a military man that we all know, who Andrew met before anyone else.” Cameron just looked at her and she rolled her eyes again. “Come on now, it’s right in front of your face.”

“Time’s up.” Natalie called as she approached the dig site. She smiled back at Cameron who looked extremely frustrated. She smiled sweetly at him, then began to get all of the work gear out of the bags, “and just because next week is my week off, don’t think you can go prying for more information. I will find out, and Trevor will make sure that my revenge is extracted, isn’t that right?”

“Indeed, I will.” He said stoically.

“Thanks, T.” She smirked as she walked backwards away from the group. Cameron grumbled as he followed her to their positions behind the military guard.

“Welcome back,” Major James called chuckled as he saw the annoyed Cameron go to his work spot, “I can see you had a pleasant walk as well.”

“Major. What are you doing here? I thought you had the week off.”

“I do. But I traded this weekend for next weekend with Samuels. I agreed to stay though Monday and then I don’t have to come back next Friday.”

“This is extraordinarily hard for me, you realize that, yes?” Lizzie bit the inside of her lip.

“It’s just Washington DC. I can come back and visit, and you can come out to see me.” Jack tried to comfort Lizzie and hide the fact that it was extraordinarily hard for him as well. “And look at the bright side.”

“The bright side?”

“We don’t work together anymore. We can do anything we want, and we can tell everyone we want about it. I don’t know about you, but I plan on giving Neil all the juicy details just to watch him stew in his jealousy.” Lizzie laughed then turned away from Jack as the tears started to fall down her face.

“Come here.” She heard Jack whisper softly, and Lizzie felt his familiar hug. “I have to leave now. But since I sold everything here, I left you a present inside. Goodbye, Liz.”

Lizzie let him go, and waved as he got into his truck and drove off. Suddenly, she really wanted a beer. Turning and heading back into her house, she could on the kitchen counter an open beer, and a package with a note taped onto it.

If I know you like I think I do, then you want a beer to remind you of me. Drink up, but don’t get it on your new present.

Lizzie took a swig from the beer, but then ripped into the package. Inside she found a worn leather jacket, one she had seen on the motorcycle next to her several times. Inside was another note in Jack’s familiar scrawl.

I never really did like motorcycles, but you did, so I rode. I no longer need an excuse to hang out with you, so I no longer need my jacket. Take care of it.

Lizzie smiled and clutched the jacket to her. She slipped the jacket around her shoulders, grabbed her beer, and headed off to bed for what she hoped was a good night’s sleep.

How long was it that he had been out? Hours. Several hours at least. Lydia looked at the clock, but for some reason the simple concept of hours and minutes seemed over her head.

The doctor wearily approached her in the chair near his bed. “Lydia, you really need to get some rest. You hit your head pretty badly, and you carried him several miles. He’s not small a man.”

“No, thank you. I’m fine.” Her tone dared anyone in the room to challenge her, but none of them would. Instead, the doctor who had approached her nodded to one of the nurses. That nurse got on the phone right away.

Two hours later, a man strode into the infirmary and straight over to Lydia’s chair. He pulled up another chair next to her, and simply asked, “How longs has it been?”

“I don’t know, sir. Hours at least.”

“Can’t tell time.”

“No, Sir.”

“Lyd. You need to lie down, get some sleep. I will keep guard over him and make sure he’s okay, but right now you need to be taking care of yourself.”

“Okay…okay…” Lyd stood up slowly, and turned to the man next to her for support as she made her way over to a bed.

“You know, my ego is deflating. I thought you were only this worried about me, but apparently you worry for all of your COs this way.”

“Don’t worry, sir, you were just worrisome enough to earn a very special place in my heart.” Lydia crawled into bed and within seconds the doctors were around her, giving her everything that she needed, but had been denying herself for ages.

“Thanks, Tristan.” Dr. Lam smiled, “You know she wouldn’t have moved from that chair for anyone else.”

“Yeah, she’s stubborn that way.” Tristan turned the chair Lydia had been sitting in so he could see both her and the unconscious Andre.

“You don’t have to stay, sir.”

“I told her I would watch him, and I’m going to hold up that promise. Not to mention, I want to make sure she’s okay.”